A/N: So sorry again. I'm trying to find a teaching position for September as well as all of my assignments, so things are a bit hectic! (if any of you work in a school and fancy doing me a favour... ;) )

I'm not happy with this chapter, but I just wanted to get something up as it's been so long. Please don't be too harsh hahaha, I'll probably come back and edit this at a later date once I'm back into the swing of things.

All mistakes are mine, I don't own any characters, and please take a second to review if you enjoy :)

Here's chapter 9!

Emma awoke the next morning with the sun blaring in from through the curtains, a crick in her neck and cramp in her arm. She opened one eye to adjust to her surroundings, and found both to be caused by the body beneath her. While sleeping, Regina had seemingly rolled onto Emma's left arm, and Emma in turn had tucked her head down onto Regina's chest, leaving them both positioned in an unconscious hug.

Emma lifted her head from Regina, her neck cracking painfully as she did so, and resettled on her own pillow.

"Mmm." Regina protested, and Emma smiled as a tired arm lifted to the air to pull her head back to its former position.

"I'm going to break my neck lying like this."

"Small sacrifice," Regina mumbled into the ends of Emma's hair.

As Emma smiled to herself, she wondered if she'd ever felt this way before. Sure, she'd been in serious relationships, but she had never been one for early morning cuddles. Or doing anything in the early morning, honestly. But she felt happy like this, truly she did. Even with the shooting pain in her neck and a dead arm, she couldn't be happier.

Emma and Regina eventually dragged themselves out of bed at around 10am, and decided to head out to a café for brunch.

Emma had always felt lost in foreign countries, with everyone around her bustling about their daily lives, speaking conversations she couldn't understand. Unsurprisingly, Regina was in her element, pulling Emma slightly as they crossed through groups of people, jostling to get past.

"Are you alright?" Regina asked at one point, as Emma felt uncannily like a small child wandering around a theme park.

"Yeah. Why is there so many people?"

"Everyone has descended ready for this week." The two eventually arrived at the doors of a café with a free table in the window, and sat down.

"What time did you say the first show was?" Emma asked, as a harassed-looking waiter came to take their order.

"4pm. There's an opening party later tonight too, if you're interested. It'll be similar to the ball you escorted me to, only hopefully this time people will be a little more liquored up."

"My favourite kind of people." Emma smiled. "So what do I wear to shows? I have to look hot, right?"

"More so than usual. Don't worry, I had Belle pack you some outfits."

"What; you don't trust me?" Emma asked, smirking, as Regina raked an eye over the faded jeans and tank top her companion was wearing.

"Not especially, dear, no. Of course, you can wear what you wish."

Now it was Emma's turn to assess what she currently wore. "Yeah.. I think I'll see what Belle picked out."

After another brisk walk through the city, Regina and Emma returned to the hotel room to get ready for the afternoon. Regina opened her suitcase, which had been packed into two halves; one side for Emma, and another for Regina.

"This side is some of the clothes Belle picked out for you, have a look and see if there's anything in there that you like. I'll call Henry." Regina walked from her suitcase and to the suite's phone which was resting on the kitchen counter, speaking briefly to a hotel worker to ask to be connected to an outside line, and then pausing to wait for Henry to answer.

"Hello darling, how are you?" Regina pressed a button, and soon Henry's cheery voice was filling the hotel room.

"Good. We're having pancakes!"

"I hope you say thank you for them."

"Mom.." Henry whined, embarrassed.

"How are Jimmy and his mother? Are you being good?"

"Yes!" Henry exclaimed enthusiastically. "I miss you and Emma."

"We miss you too, kid." Emma joined in the conversation.

"We'll only be gone for a few days, Henry. The very second we're home we'll take you out for dinner, wherever you want to go. Ok? So while you're waiting for us to get home, you can decide where you'd like for the three of us to go."

"Ok mommy! I have to go and eat now."

"Ok, sweetheart. We'll speak to you soon, ok? I love you."

"Love you too," Henry mumbled, "Bye mom, bye Emma."

"Bye Henry," Both women finished, as they heard the call end.

3pm soon rolled around, and Emma and Regina headed down to the venue to meet with the others before the first show. Belle arrived in a car with a photographer and a blogger, and immediately set her sights on Emma.

"Hey, Emma." Belle walked over to the two of them confidently, dressed in a leather skirt with a tweed blazer hanging loosely from her shoulders. Regina greeted Belle and then walked towards the car's other passengers, leaving Emma and Belle alone. "How's the city of love been treating you?"

".. Do you really want to know how I've spent my time with your boss?"

Belle paused. "Fair enough. So what are you getting up to this afternoon?"

"I was thinking about heading to the show with you guys."

"Oh really? Well, me and Regina will head backstage before it starts, do you want to meet some models?"

Emma hesitated. "Uh.. sure. I don't really.. have anything in common with them, what would I say?"

"You could always start with 'hello'."

Emma, Regina, Belle and the rest of the team were greeted by a woman wearing all-white, who fawned over Regina in a way that made the brunette frown and Emma snort. The woman pulled the others to their seats, and allowed Emma, Regina and Belle to walk through a dark curtain into the backstage area.

"Darling!" An English voice exclaimed from behind them, and Emma, Regina and Belle turned to find a woman, a white streak striking through black hair, rushing towards them.

"Cruella," Regina gave Emma a look, before turning on a smile and greeting the woman halfway, a kiss on each cheek.

"Cruella? .. Seriously?" Emma whispered to Belle.

"Probably the only reason she has her hair like that."

"Emma, dear, come and meet Cruella." Regina called over her shoulder, and Belle turned to go further backstage as Emma walked hesitantly over to the two women. "Emma Swan, Cruella Vanders. This is Cruella's show."

"Thanks for letting me come along."

"No trouble at all. Any friend of Regina's is a friend of mine." Cruella said, without a hint of sincerity in her voice. "Regina, you just have to meet my newest recruit. Elsa, darling-" Cruella called out loudly to the dressing rooms behind her, "Regina Mills is here."

After a few moments of false smiles and awkward silence between the three women, a woman with blonde hair tied in a loose braid turned into the corridor where they were stood, pulling a dressing gown tightly around herself.

"It's really an honour, Miss Mills." Elsa exclaimed, holding out her hand enthusiastically to Regina.

"And this is Emma, Regina's partner." Elsa greeted Emma with as much enthusiasm as she had Regina, with Emma was eternally grateful for.

"Well Regina, come this way and we'll see if we can't get you a little sneak peek at the show." Cruella put a hand onto Regina's arm, and the woman looked back at Emma in confirmation as she was pulled away.

"So.. I guess this isn't your normal hang-out?" Emma turned as Elsa addressed her.

"Apparently it is these days. I'll get used to it." Emma shrugged, and Elsa patted her reassuringly on the shoulder, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"They aren't all as bad as Cruella. Most of us are nice, I promise. Even Cruella is a softie when you get to know her."

Emma scoffed, and raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

".. Ok, maybe not Cruella. Do you want to come back here? Meet some of the others?"

"Uh.." Emma looked back to where Regina and Cruella had exited moments before, "Yeah, sure. Why not."

Elsa linked her arm and walked with her back to where Elsa had emerged from. Emma was immediately overwhelmed by the room; crew members shouting into earpieces, others running into hallways carrying outfits held above their heads as they pushed past people. Around 10 models sat at different dressing tables, some talking, others silent. Elsa pulled her towards a vacant dressing table, and directed her to sit on a stool just to the side of it.

"Hey everyone, this is Emma. She's Regina Mills' girlfriend."

Some of the girls turned towards her to say hello, and a few others surveyed her slightly as they nodded politely in greeting. Mercifully, none ignored her, a redheaded woman wearing a dark green dress even going as far as to walk over to greet her.

"Hey. I'm Anna." She offered her hand to Emma, who took it with a smile. "I see you've already met my sister."

"Wow, you guys are sisters?"

Elsa sensed a tone of shock in her voice. "I know, you wouldn't expect it right?" Her face, while still kind, was more mature than her sister's, whose cheeks were rosy, her smile a little brighter.

"No, not that. I was just thinking you must have some really attractive parents."

Elsa and Anna laughed in sync, before Anna made her apologies and returned to her own station.

"So, you nervous? About this evening?"

Elsa laughed. "I might throw up."

"Well, me and Regina are in your corner. I can pull faces at you if you want."

"I don't think Cruella would love it if I started laughing on the catwalk." Elsa lifted a hand to the gown she had on briefly, but stopped before she undid it. "Sorry, I have to get changed. Is that ok?"

"No, sure." Emma stood and stepped back slightly to get out of the way. Elsa was wearing underwear under her gown, but Emma looked away.

"Emma, dear." Emma turned as Regina walked over, and raised her eyebrow at the blonde who had been staring at the ceiling as Elsa got changed a few steps away from her.

Regina moved her hand so it was positioned in the small gap between her and Emma, and Emma moved her own hand to touch Regina's. Elsa looked down at them and smiled.

"Well, Elsa, I wish you the best of luck. Cruella has instructed me to keep an eye out for you, and she isn't the first person to say that."

Elsa, clearly ecstatic, showed her gratitude a small glinting smile. Emma considered that if Elsa were her sister in that moment, she would most likely physically jump for joy.

"Hopefully I won't disappoint." Elsa responded, her voice shaking slightly. With a last smile to Emma, she sat down at her dressing table, immediately swarmed by hair and make-up.

Emma and Regina left the changing area, and found Belle deep in conversation with another official-looking woman carrying a clipboard and a stressed expression.

"Let's leave Belle to it."

The woman Belle was speaking to suddenly broke into floods of tears, and Belle patted her shoulder uncomfortably as Regina nodded to Emma and the two women escaped before they were noticed.

Everyone was on edge, Emma noticed. Not just Elsa and the stranger in the corridor; everyone they came across had a shake in their hands, an overly enthusiastic bounce in their step. Emma asked Regina about this.

"It's just first night nerves. Perfectly natural."

"Well, they're making me antsy. I don't like it."

"You, dear, have no reason to be nervous." Regina lifted a hand to Emma's cheek, cupping it slightly. "Come, let's sit down."

A man Emma assumed worked for Cruella grabbed her attention, and was soon guiding her and Regina trough droves of people taking their seats to the front row of the show, the catwalk just a metre in front.

Emma settled down in her seat, her leg still juddering up and down, thriving on the nervous energy in the room.

Belle joined them a few moments later, apologising and explaining the assistant who had been overwhelmed by her first show immediately began to cry when asked if she wanted any help. Regina half-smiled as though proud that Belle would offer, before turning non-chalantly back to the booklet that had been left on her seat.

"So, is this going to be any good?" Emma directed towards Belle, her too flicking through the programme she had been given.

"I think you'll be surprised."

"Just relax, Emma. And try to enjoy." Regina chimed in after Belle, her head flicking towards Emma and then back to the stage, before the lights dimmed.

And then, it began.